1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to closed refrigerating systems and more particularly to a manifold for removing or adding fluid refrigerant to the system.
The term "refrigerating system" as used herein is intended to mean any system which utilizes a compressible evaporative fluid to remove heat from an enclosed space, such as refrigerators and air conditioners. The maintenance of such a system requires that the refrigerant system be tested and additional refrigerant fluid added thereto if the fluid contained by the system is below a predetermined pressure. Similarly, a malfunctioning refrigerant system sometimes must be evacuated or refrigerant fluid in order to effect repairs and thereafter recharge the system. For this purpose the refrigerant lines are usually provided with one or more access fittings which contain a spring urged depressible stem for opening and closing a valve core which is utilized by the present invention in servicing the system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Most refrigerant servicing devices of this type, commonly referred to as charging manifolds, are bulky in overall configuration and are provided with two or more valves which must be opened and closed during operation. The passageway through the prior art devices and valves being of relatively small size are consequently inefficient when evacuating refrigerant fluid from the lines.
This invention provides a relatively small in overall configuration charging and evacuating manifold, when compared with prior art manifolds, having a refrigerant passageway therethrough which is substantially greater in cross sectional area than the full open position of the access fitting valve with which it is connected for easily conveying the volume of gas being added to or removed from the refrigerant system and which contains a cam equipped shaft for moving a plunger toward and away from a depressible valve core stem for opening and closing the valve. The manifold disclosed herein is distinctive over the manifold disclosed by the above named copending application by further minimizing the overall dimensions of the manifold thus conserving material, simplifying the configuration and number of components and eliminating one fluid seal.